FAYETTEVILLE - It didn't take Katie McCormick too long to get her name mentioned over the Bud Walton Arena loudspeaker Saturday afternoon.

Once the Dardanelle standout and Arkansas Tech signee entered the Arkansas High School Coaches Association girls all-star basketball game, it took McCormick only 11 seconds to drive inside and get her first basket.

McCormick finished with an admirable eight points in her time on the floor and helped the West claim a 68-58 victory over the East at the University of Arkansas' home court.

"The fact that I came out and did something very quickly in the game really helped," McCormick said afterwards. "I was nervous going into the game, but that really helped me play my game."

The West began taking control of the game in the second half, when its defense held the East without a field goal for more than 10 minutes. After Batesville's Nikki Baker's bucket at the 6:02 mark in the fourth period gave the East a 41-40 lead, seven different West players - including McCormick - contributed points in a 16-3 run that made it a 56-44 game heading into the last eight minutes of play.

"In the second half, we started turning the defense up a notch," said Dardanelle coach Tim Aynes, who served as an assistant on the West squad. "We began playing a little harder, and I thought we had more depth than the East. That helped keep our players a little bit fresher, while the East kept their better players in a little longer."

The West took their biggest lead in the game when a bucket by Springdale's Krista Sanchez, the Oklahoma signee who was named the game's most valuable player, made it 61-48 with 5:50 remaining. The East scored the next eight points and cut it to 61-56 on three free throws by Pulaski Academy's Ashley Dixon, but the West pulled away again with baskets by Poyen's Heather Morris, a signee with Arkansas-Little Rock, and McCormick, as well as a free throw by Harrison's Danielle Allen.

Heber Springs' Christy Mahan and West Memphis' Jocelyn Love did all the East's scoring in the first period, helping their team take a 12-9 lead. McCormick and her West teammates, however, dominated the second period, outscoring the East 17-6 and turning a three-point deficit into a 26-18 lead.

After McCormick hit the quick basket, she fed Allen inside for an easy shot to give the West a 13-12 edge. After a three-pointer by Nemo Vista's Brianna Johnson put the West ahead 21-18 at the 1:55 mark, McCormick finished the period strong by hitting a layup, recording one of her game-high three blocked shots and recording the assist on a three-pointer by Gentry's Emily Quan.

"I kind of held my own out there," McCormick said. "At the first of the week, I was scared because I didn't think I would do that well. I'm not used to playing with these type of players, but I settled in and did what I had to do out there.

"Getting those blocked shots was nice, too. I really enjoyed getting out there and swatting those balls away. That's one of my favorite things to do."

The East, however, had other ideas in the third period, outscoring the West 18-9 and regaining a 36-35 lead at intermission. The lead, however, didn't come until 0.7 seconds remaining as Crossett's Kelly Williams recorded a three-point play to put the East in front.

Sanchez led all scorers with 17 points, while McCormick and Allen were next in line for the West with eight points apiece. McCormick also had five rebounds and three assists in the contest.

Mahan was the only East player in double figures with 12 points, followed by Love with nine and Baker with eight.